Picture: Manuel Harlan
Playtime continues at the Royal Theatre, Northampton (part of the Royal & Derngate) until 17 September 2022.
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
Playtime is a unique and thought-provoking take on traditional storytelling, reversing usual roles such that those more usually seen as extras or background artists take centre stage and the main characters feature alongside them.
A loosely identified ‘hero’ and ‘heroine’, who meet by chance at the airport in Paris and spend the next few hours looking for each other until they cross paths again, are more in the shadows than their usual spotlight. The focus is more on the characters around these two: other passengers at the airport, all with their own stories and reasons for being in the city, guests and staff at the hotel where both are staying, and other patrons and employees of the restaurant where an evening soiree takes place.
As a concept, it is perfectly placed to achieve its aim of exploring the nuances of humanity, but falls a little short in execution.
A focus on everyday realities brings to mind a representation of the variety we experience, the multitude of occurrences and emotions that can happen in a single day. However, somewhat disappointingly Playtime sticks to a humorous angle – slapstick style – throughout the entire show with little diversion. Moments of fantastic wit and excellent comic timing are rinsed to their full potential and then some, with occasional parts drawn out for several minutes while the same initially funny gesture or reaction is repeated over and over.
The standout highlight is undoubtedly the talented cast of five, individually showcasing their admirable dexterity in adapting to a huge variety of very differing portrayals. All play between 17 and 26 characters throughout the story, requiring innumerable quick changes often done in a matter of seconds. Their skill and range contribute some much-needed dynamic, particularly considering the majority of audible dialogue is in French and the emphasis is often on physical theatre to communicate the story.
Overall, an intriguing concept with perhaps more potential than was realised in this production, but delivered by an outstanding company. For a piece with such driven-home humour in most parts, other areas are left unsatisfyingly ambiguous and untethered – a little more cohesion within the material would elevate this to a memorable and inspiring piece of theatre.
Sorcha Exworthy
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